Colonial Gunnery Codex - Battlestar Galactica Fanclub2024-03-29T09:34:46Zhttps://battlestarfanclub.com/forum/topics/colonial-gunnery-codex?groupUrl=battlestar-gun-crews&commentId=4960814%3AComment%3A239189&xg_source=activity&groupId=4960814%3AGroup%3A215326&feed=yes&xn_auth=noColonial Gunnery Codex #005
C…tag:battlestarfanclub.com,2020-04-01:4960814:Comment:2391992020-04-01T22:13:00.069ZAlexander Falkberghttps://battlestarfanclub.com/profile/Falkberg
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Colonial Gunnery Codex #005</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>Colonial Escort Carrier Ponos</b></span></p>
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<p>This successor to the early Viper-type bomber variants was the first dedicated tactical bomber to see wide-spread use in the Colonial Fleet.…</p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Colonial Gunnery Codex #005</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>Colonial Escort Carrier Ponos</b></span></p>
<p></p>
<p>This successor to the early Viper-type bomber variants was the first dedicated tactical bomber to see wide-spread use in the Colonial Fleet.</p>
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<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4297517837?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4297517837?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="700" class="align-center"/></a><br/><br/>Its numerous deployments at the height of the war came as a direct response to frequent Cylon raids. These were often conducted by light escort carriers jumping out of range of vulnerable colonial facilities and sending in waves of raider squadrons. Fast bomber squadrons with Viper support had quickly proven the most effective at dispatching such enemy incursions. Consequently, rapid response units of this make-up were quickly placed wherever possible to secure remaining colonial territories.<br/><br/>The Caiman was designed for rapid runs at heavier targets, closing distance as quickly as possible. Typically, these bombers delivered unguided payloads to avoid interference from Cylon countermeasures. They were fully capable of matching vipers in terms of top-speed but less suited to close maneuvering and dog-fights.<br/><br/>While they were deployed from flight decks and colonial bases without launch assist systems for most of the war, some later carriers and Battlestars retrofitted launch tubes to accommodate the larger profile of the Caiman MKII to minimize deployment times in specialized missions.</p> The Cylon War #06
Fatigue
Al…tag:battlestarfanclub.com,2020-04-01:4960814:Comment:2391982020-04-01T22:10:47.196ZAlexander Falkberghttps://battlestarfanclub.com/profile/Falkberg
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The Cylon War #06</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>Fatigue</b></span></p>
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<p style="text-align: left;">Alarm, the claxon, the alert vipers launching – the beginning of every operation was the same. For the bomber pilots on the edge of colonial space, it was a vicious routine at the dawn of every other day. They never knew when it might be their last.…</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The Cylon War #06</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>Fatigue</b></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Alarm, the claxon, the alert vipers launching – the beginning of every operation was the same. For the bomber pilots on the edge of colonial space, it was a vicious routine at the dawn of every other day. They never knew when it might be their last. Because every mission was dangerous, every call to action put everything on the line. Anyone facing the raiders out there knew it. They weren't like in the simulations. Even though they were just machines, there was something more.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4297511354?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4297511354?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="700" class="align-center"/></a><br/>And yet, every time it was the same. A light carrier would jump on the edge of Dradis Range, barely more than a hangar strapped to an FTL and scaffolding. A dozen or so raiders would launch and throw themselves against the remote depot station. Sometimes, one would come through and lose a few missiles against the scarred hulk of the bastion. Sometimes, one of the pilots would run out of luck and die.<br/>The routine was the worst of it. The mechanical, uncaring repetition of the Cylon attacks, every other day the same thing. While the bastion bled pilots, every time an irreplaceable life was lost. The Cylon couldn't care less how many Centurions were demolished in these fights, even though it could not possibly be efficient.<br/>There was a theory among the pilots stationed there. Even though command refused to confirm it, they all knew it to be true. It was a glitch in the system, a simple bug. Somewhere in the inscrutable servers of the Cylon rebellion, some random subroutine failed to update the status of the operation. And so, it gave the same command over and over, loosing one unit at a time. And it didn't even matter. Light carriers, their raiders, their centurions, the troops of the Cylon were endless. The number of pilots was not.</p> The Cylon War #05
Colonial Va…tag:battlestarfanclub.com,2020-03-22:4960814:Comment:2394682020-03-22T16:27:56.402ZAlexander Falkberghttps://battlestarfanclub.com/profile/Falkberg
<p style="text-align: center;"><span>The Cylon War #05</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>Colonial Valkyries</b></span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4191824149?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4191824149?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="700"></img></a></b></p>
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<p>The valkyries of the old gods knew no fear of the enemy, for they were wrath…</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span>The Cylon War #05</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>Colonial Valkyries</b></span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4191824149?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4191824149?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="700" class="align-center"/></a></b></p>
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<p>The valkyries of the old gods knew no fear of the enemy, for they were wrath incarnate. In an age where the worlds of all the humankind stand on the brink of destruction, the warriors of the twelve tribes hold the memory of the battling maidens close dear. On the battlefields between the stars of Cyrannus, they invoke the names of gods and legends, human blood and superstition standing against the relentless force of the machines.<br/>Every victory they now achieve, every day they continue to survive, is now an addition to the scrolls of legend, worthy of a new chronicle to be written for future generations. The deeds of the new colonial valkyries, the pilots of the modern age, will be remembered for as long as the colonies continue to survive, and beyond if humanity once again makes the voyage to distant stars.<br/>It is this hope for which they fight, hope for a future when their war may be remembered. It is this hope which makes them different from the machines, for which there cannot be anything than the command, the directive, the code dictating actions of the moment. Robots have no dreams, no memories, no legends, and because of it, the valkyries will forever triumph over them, carried by the blessings of the gods.</p> Colonial Gunnery Codex #005
C…tag:battlestarfanclub.com,2020-03-22:4960814:Comment:2391892020-03-22T16:24:49.727ZAlexander Falkberghttps://battlestarfanclub.com/profile/Falkberg
<p style="text-align: center;"><span>Colonial Gunnery Codex #005</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>Colonial Escort Carrier Ponos</b></span></p>
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<p>To deliver colonial warriors into the midst of battle is the foremost duty of this formidable carrier, introduced at the height of the First Cylon War.<br></br>At the time of its conception, the Colonial Fleet had first achieved notable gains of territory after the initial onslaught of the Cylon force,…</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span>Colonial Gunnery Codex #005</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>Colonial Escort Carrier Ponos</b></span></p>
<p></p>
<p>To deliver colonial warriors into the midst of battle is the foremost duty of this formidable carrier, introduced at the height of the First Cylon War.<br/>At the time of its conception, the Colonial Fleet had first achieved notable gains of territory after the initial onslaught of the Cylon force, leading to sweeping plans of reconquest and proposals for a counter-offensive. In these efforts to uproot the core of the machine rebellion and its enigmatic new homeworld, small carriers such as the Ponos were to play a crucial role. Forming the centerpiece of advance formations and guardian flotillas along the flanks of the colonial campaigns, these mobile bases were intended as the backbone of the colonial's strategic momentum.<br/><br/>Consequently, the Ponos was built for frontline combat. Despite its role as a carrier rather than a ship-to-ship combat vessel, the vessel enjoys heavy armor and several heavy weapons batteries which were to lend notable support to its gun stars. Crew and pilots were to be drilled to operate under extreme conditions, drawing from experience in combat landings that had been gained during missions of the first Battlestar.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4191796624?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4191796624?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="700" class="align-center"/></a><br/><br/>Ultimately, the great counter-offensive the Colonial Fleet had hoped for never came. In the emptiness of intersystem space, the Cylon put up a deadly defensive line, meeting the colonials with an unexpected strength that shattered any hopes of a decisive campaign into hostile space early on. As a result, the Ponos-class could never prove its worth in the intended role and was instead relegated to a far more defensive role.<br/><br/></p> The Cylon War #04
Colonial Va…tag:battlestarfanclub.com,2020-03-07:4960814:Comment:2390752020-03-07T12:27:08.756ZAlexander Falkberghttps://battlestarfanclub.com/profile/Falkberg
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The Cylon War #04</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Colonial Vanguard</strong></span></p>
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<p>The scrolls of Pythia speak of the journey of the great skyward caravan in wonder. Space, to the ancient tribes, was a realm of myth and legend, the endless gulf separating them and all known things from the world of the gods. Holy Kobol, so it was written, was…</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The Cylon War #04</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Colonial Vanguard</strong></span></p>
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<p>The scrolls of Pythia speak of the journey of the great skyward caravan in wonder. Space, to the ancient tribes, was a realm of myth and legend, the endless gulf separating them and all known things from the world of the gods. Holy Kobol, so it was written, was but one light among myriad others, a million worlds twinkling on the firmament, and among them twelve for the humankind to call home.<br/><br/>Of this early wonder, little remained when the colonies returned to space. Before long, the interplanetary stretches between the settled worlds had become trading routes, silk roads, and battlefields. Only a scarce few among the Twelve Tribes truly still felt the longing for the void, only a few felt more at home between the stars than on any natural world.<br/>They were veterans of spaceflight and all its dangers, long before the Cylon War began, and many had served with their colony's fleets for all their life.<br/><br/>In the early years of the war, they made up the first elites of the Colonial Fleet, and not many of them would survive long enough to share their experience with the next generation of new soldiers.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4034395990?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4034395990?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="700" class="align-center"/></a></p> Colonial Gunnery Codex #004
C…tag:battlestarfanclub.com,2020-03-07:4960814:Comment:2390742020-03-07T12:24:28.358ZAlexander Falkberghttps://battlestarfanclub.com/profile/Falkberg
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Colonial Gunnery Codex #004</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>Colonial Gunstar Orithyia</b></span></p>
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<p>The Phaedra Vanguard Gunstar is an early-war design and among the first to put great emphasis on engine-power.<br></br>This class was conceived as part of a series of exploratory prototypes commissioned by the young Colonial Fleet in an effort to shift its…</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Colonial Gunnery Codex #004</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>Colonial Gunstar Orithyia</b></span></p>
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<p>The Phaedra Vanguard Gunstar is an early-war design and among the first to put great emphasis on engine-power.<br/>This class was conceived as part of a series of exploratory prototypes commissioned by the young Colonial Fleet in an effort to shift its doctrine according to the strengths brought into the alliance by each of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol. Originating on Picon plans for the Phaedra were picked up and endorsed by the higher echelons of the Scorpia Fleetyards, leading to a quick realization of the design.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4034374090?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4034374090?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="700" class="align-center"/></a><br/><br/>Instead of focusing on heavy armor and raw firepower, the Phaedra was designed with speed and maneuverability in mind, capitalizing on the slow, stationary nature of many early Cylon ship designs. The Phaedra, so the intention, was to bring its guns to bear at ever-shifting angles, using its superior mobility to outperform even enemy capital ships above its weight. This approach proved particularly successful in simulations, although it was later noted by military advisors that such simulations were often based on traditional colonial warfare and did not sufficiently reflect the combat style of the Cylon.<br/>Nevertheless, performances of the Phaedra class were convincing enough to win a contract for sixteen vessels, ten of which would be actually finished and see action in the war. The remaining six hulls were later converted to a light carrier variant, the early pre-cursors of the modern Colonial Defender.</p> Colonial Gunnery Codex #003
C…tag:battlestarfanclub.com,2020-02-28:4960814:Comment:2388712020-02-28T09:49:55.647ZAlexander Falkberghttps://battlestarfanclub.com/profile/Falkberg
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Colonial Gunnery Codex #003</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>Colonial Gunstar Orithyia</b></span></p>
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<p>The Orithyia Class was a heavy warship of the Colonial Fleet, designed for tactical support. It was the first class to carry a new type of heavy Kinetic Energy Weapons (KEWs) known as 'ballistae' for their effective role as field artillery pieces of colonial Battle Groups. These…</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Colonial Gunnery Codex #003</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>Colonial Gunstar Orithyia</b></span></p>
<p></p>
<p>The Orithyia Class was a heavy warship of the Colonial Fleet, designed for tactical support. It was the first class to carry a new type of heavy Kinetic Energy Weapons (KEWs) known as 'ballistae' for their effective role as field artillery pieces of colonial Battle Groups. These new guns would be used to bombard heavy enemy base- and motherships from afar, making up for their lack of accuracy with pure destructive power. Their projectiles could quickly overwhelm even heavy conventional armor and at the time of the Orithyia's first deployments, most Cylon forces lacked the capability to reliably intercept incoming bombardments.</p>
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<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3953699475?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3953699475?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="700" class="align-center"/></a></p>
<p>Because of this, the Orithyia was viewed almost as a colonial superweapon early on, scoring a series of crucial victories against heavy Cylon formations that had long eluded destruction. However, the first months of deployment and operational rotations also revealed substantial flaws in the design.<br/>Powerful as they were, the new Ballista KEWs proved to be extremely sensitive to processing flaws in munitions and material fatigue of the barrels, making them extremely maintenance intensive. Further issues arose in the vessel's own core structure which, as with many designs of the Artemis-line, showed significant unforeseen strain on the spinal section, forcing all Orithyia-class vessels to spend months in dry-dock for restoration and repairs. Ultimately, even after an overhaul of both the weapons systems and the core structure, the class was faced with diminishing deployment times and growing refurbishment periods which were simply not viable long-term, leading to the class being phased out completely during the latter half of the First Cylon War.</p> The Cylon War #03
Combined St…tag:battlestarfanclub.com,2020-02-27:4960814:Comment:2389892020-02-27T23:54:03.985ZAlexander Falkberghttps://battlestarfanclub.com/profile/Falkberg
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The Cylon War #03</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Combined Strength</strong></span></p>
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<p><span>At the outset of the First Cylon War, few could even imagine the magnitude of a true colonial fleet. Never before had the strength and war effort of all Twelve Worlds been combined into a singular force, and the prospect of it presented a plethora of unique and unforeseen…</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The Cylon War #03</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Combined Strength</strong></span></p>
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<p><span>At the outset of the First Cylon War, few could even imagine the magnitude of a true colonial fleet. Never before had the strength and war effort of all Twelve Worlds been combined into a singular force, and the prospect of it presented a plethora of unique and unforeseen challenges. The issues logistical support and coordination of such a fleet alone were unprecedented in colonial history and the leaders of the fledgling Alliance were soon confronted with the reality, that a political unification did not so easily translate to the battlefield.</span><br/><br/><span>Because of this and to bolster the Colonial's faltering morale, the newly combined forces of the Colonial Fleet held massive maneuvering exercises throughout the first months of the war. As they scrambled to present something akin to a unified front toward the enemy, the military leaders of all sides issued countless scenario orders in an effort to assess the combat readiness of the newly forming fleet.</span><br/><span>Early projections and findings from those exercises were abysmal, showing rapidly failing command cohesion and insurmountable differences in doctrine. Even under the best of circumstances, the combining of the fleets would have been a massive, difficult undertaking. The first admirals of the Colonial Fleet did so practically under fire, and the Cylon knew of this weakness.</span><br/><br/><span>If they were to survive, the warriors of the Twelve Tribes would have to learn to think as one, and quickly. Otherwise, all of them would be scattered and lost, fighting alone even in the midst of their massed formations.</span></p>
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<p><span><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3949616100?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3949616100?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="700" class="align-center"/></a></span></p> Colonial Gunnery Codex #002
C…tag:battlestarfanclub.com,2020-02-27:4960814:Comment:2391532020-02-27T23:46:32.022ZAlexander Falkberghttps://battlestarfanclub.com/profile/Falkberg
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Colonial Gunnery Codex #002</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><b>Colonial Warstar Hesperides</b></span></p>
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<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span>A heavy warship introduced in the opening years of the First Cylon War, the Hesperides Warstar embodies the dedication and martial prowess of colonial Tauron. It was designed early on as…</span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Colonial Gunnery Codex #002</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><b>Colonial Warstar Hesperides</b></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span>A heavy warship introduced in the opening years of the First Cylon War, the Hesperides Warstar embodies the dedication and martial prowess of colonial Tauron. It was designed early on as part of the Artemis program and would later be delivered to several colonial worlds to serve as the local flagship of orbital defense groups.</span></span></p>
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<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3949564066?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3949564066?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="700" class="align-center"/></a><br/><br/><span>Following a hull configuration similar to that of the Aerilon Minotaur, but in a radically heavier class, the Hesperides emphasizes a compact, extremely durable design for maximum survivability of both equipment and crew. Its ship-to-ship weaponry, favoring long-range munitions such as torpedos and missile swarms, underlines its role as the hard core of battle groups, engaging in prolonged firefights and outlasting nearly any foe.</span><br/><span>The closely packed hangar pods on either side, merging partially with the central hull, afford less rapid-deployment capabilities and squadron sizes compared to those of the Artemis Battlestar, and are instead outfitted with additional weapons emplacements to better suit the vessel's role.</span><br/><br/><span>The Hesperides was a successful design early on, where it could meet the initial onslaught of Cylon forces head-on. As the war progressed, however, the production of such a massive frontline warship became less and less feasible for the Colonial Fleet, as both the struggling industrial capacity of the colonies and the changing nature of the conflict called for more mobile and flexible designs. Those Hesperides-Class Warstars already in service continued the fight until the very end of the First Cylon War but would be quickly phased out afterward.</span></span></p>
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<p></p> The Cylon War #01
Frontier Se…tag:battlestarfanclub.com,2020-01-18:4960814:Comment:2385082020-01-18T18:22:25.282ZAlexander Falkberghttps://battlestarfanclub.com/profile/Falkberg
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The Cylon War #01</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Frontier Seekers</span></p>
<p>Before the Rebellion and the First Cylon War, few vessels braved the edges of colonial space. To the Twelve Tribes, this was a realm of mystery, the heavens from which they once had come, and where they lay the holy world of Kobol. Even those colonies claiming to have long moved passed religious dogma and petty…</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The Cylon War #01</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Frontier Seekers</span></p>
<p>Before the Rebellion and the First Cylon War, few vessels braved the edges of colonial space. To the Twelve Tribes, this was a realm of mystery, the heavens from which they once had come, and where they lay the holy world of Kobol. Even those colonies claiming to have long moved passed religious dogma and petty superstition seemed somewhat reluctant to venture into those realms of the Gods.<br/>Because of this, deep space patrol duty was an infamous assignment for the officers of all colonial fleets. It meant a confrontation with the profound vastness of the universe and near-endless silence. Perhaps especially because of this symbolism, did the Cylon choose early on, to make themselves a new home in those dark spaces between stars.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3825727070?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3825727070?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="700" class="align-center"/></a></p>
<p><br/>Early on, at the on-set of the Cylon War, the bravest of the Colonials still went out there, seeking out the hidden places to which humanity's creation had retreated. Few did ever return and those that did gave vastly contradicting accounts of the strange worlds they had seen.</p>